Boards

Director Paul Verhoeven and cinematographer Jost Vacano shot one take of the co-ed shower scene in the nude themselves (on a dare from star Dina Meyer).

More ammunition was used in this film than in any previous movie.

In the German version the news commentator you hear all the time was dubbed by Egon Hoegen. This results in additional comic relief because he is the man who, with his rather dry and sarcastic voice, narrates every episode of "Der 7. Sinn" (1966) (a very well known traffic education show).

The German dubbing of this film, although changing a lot of the political issues of the story, is partly regarded as cult especially due to lines like "Das ganze Gehirn weggelutscht" ("They sucked his brains out") as performed by Joachim Kerzel.

The fort defense scene contains many references to Zulu (1964): "We're all gonna die!", "Fire at will" and "Fall back into the compound", along with some similar camera angles.

Cyrano, Carl's pet, was originally scripted as being a frog.

The screen of Rico's computer in the classroom shows the word "fedpaint" at the lower border.

The band at the graduation party plays a David Bowie song called "I Have Not Been To Oxford Town". The lyrics are reworked a bit to refer to the 23rd century rather than the 21st.

Cameo: [Jon Davison] the owner of the dog killed in the destruction of Buenos Aries: "The only good bug is a dead bug!"

Cameo: [Edward Neumeier] appears as the criminal sentenced to death during one media break

The scenes involving explosions and fire after the destruction of Buenos Aires were actually videos taken from the Oakland Hill fires in October of 1991.

Casper Van Dien (Johnny) broke a rib during a stunt involving jumping off a "tanker bug".

When Carmen Ibanez is taking the starship out of dock the first time, she flicks a switch to release the hoses attached to the docking platform. That switch is the power switch from a 1982 era IBM PC, the very first PC to see widespread use in home and office.

A miniature Millenium Falcon can be seen on the backside of one of the starships' bridges.

Most of the arachnids appearing on film are CGI but a few life-sized, robotic models were built. However, during the battle scenes, the actors wound up looking at director Paul Verhoeven himself who would stand in front of them and jump and scream to elicit their reactions.

The song, "I Have Not Been to Paradise", (a cover of the David Bowie song "I have not been to Oxford Town") is sung by Zoë Poledouris, the eldest daughter of Basil Poledouris, the film's composer.

Director Paul Verhoeven admits to never finishing the novel, claiming he read through the first few chapters and became both bored and depressed.

Some of the walls were reused from Total Recall (1990) (another film directed by Paul Verhoeven).

The film is dedicated to Gavin Gharrity and Tom O'Halloran.

The rifles featured in the movie are based off the Ruger Mini-14 in a custom bullpup stock similar to those available for other rifles/shotguns in the 1980s.

The base which houses the Fleet Academy is named "Tereshkova" after Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space.

During the scene at Whiskey base where the general is discovered in a "closet". The prop used for the closet was actually an industrial refrigerator found very commonly in the kitchens of most restaurants.

In the movie, Jonny Rico and some of the characters' nationalities have been significantly altered from the original novel. In Heinlein's novel, the story focuses on the first-person narrative of Juan "Jonnie" Rico, a son of a wealthy Filipino family who enlisted in to the Mobile Infantry - a highly futuristic military unit equipped with powered armor and an arsenal of advanced weaponry. The movie, instead of an elite fighting force equipped with Powered Suits, they are a conventional army armed with conventional weapons - but apparently without armored vehicles, artillery, most heavy weapons, and other vital equipment.

In the movie credits, Amy Smart's character is identified as "Pilot Cadet". However, the FedNet announcer refers to her as "Lieutenant Stack Lumbrezer" - (which is likely) an homage to one of the movie's co-producers, Stacy Lumbrezer. .

Ibanez is the Spanish version of the surname "Johnson".

Features two main villains from the 'Highlander' movie franchise: Clancy Brown played the Kurgen in Highlander (1986), and Michael Ironside played Kitana in Highlander II: The Quickening (1991).

The heavy weapons mounted on towers featured in the bug assault on the base at Planet P were Degtyaryov-Shpagin Krupnokalibernyi DShK's ("Degtyaryov-Shpagin Large Caliber"), in a twin-gun arrangement on a gimbal mount. The DShK was designed in the Soviet Union in the 1930's and fires a 12.7x108mm cartridge, roughly the Soviet equivalent of the American .50 Cal BMG.

SPOILERS (but everyone in the world has seen this film, yeah?)

SPOILER: During the scene where Michael Ironside's character falls into the hole and gets his legs bitten off, Dina Meyer hit her head, was knocked unconscious, and suffered a concussion.

SPOILER: Michael Ironside's character has both legs bitten off by a tanker bug. During a fight with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Total Recall (1990) (also directed by Paul Verhoeven) Ironside's character has both arms severed.

SPOILER: In the original script, Capt. Deladier was originally supposed to have her brains sucked out instead of Zander Barcalow.

I love the bit at the end where Dougie Howser MD reads the brainsucker's mind and declares "IT'S FRIGHTENED!", cue massive roar of approval from the troopers.
Secondary bit of trivia: The troopers helmets were later used by Alliance soldiers in Firefly.

That Aliens (the film) is partially based on Starship Troopers (the book)? The marine characters in Aliens were influenced/inspired by those in the book to the extent that Cameron had all the actors playing marines read ST.

I think the first boob I may have seen was at that bit in the showers where one of the girls turns around and you see a full boob and a bit of a side boob. I was 10 and hid the video, just in case my mum would watch it (why?) and give me into trouble. Good times.